Maps  |  Parry Sound

Parry Sound (2006 census population 5,818) is a town in Central Ontario, Canada, located on the eastern shore of Georgian Bay. Parry Sound is located 160 km (100 miles) south of Sudbury and 225 km (145 miles) north of Toronto. It is the seat of Parry Sound District, a popular cottage country region for Southern Ontario residents. It is also the world's deepest natural freshwater port.

History

During the early part of the 20th century, the area was a popular subject for the many scenic art works of Tom Thomson and members of the Group of Seven. There was a slight decline in economic activity shortly after World War I with J.R. Booth's construction of a rival town, Depot Harbour on nearby Parry Island, but this setback was overcome through later developments in tourism and commerce, and the accidental destruction by fire of the entire town of Depot Harbour on August 14, 1945.

The body of water that gives the town its name was surveyed and named by Captain Henry Bayfield in the 19th century, in honour of the Arctic explorer Sir William Edward Parry. In 1857, the modern townsite was established near the Ojibwa village of Wasaukwasene ("shining shore") at the mouth of the Seguin River. In the late 19th century, rail service was established, making the town an important depot along the rail lines to Western Canada.

In 1916, a cordite factory was established in the nearby town of Nobel for the Imperial Munitions Board. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, an explosives and munitions factory was also built at Nobel, making Parry Sound an important part of both the First World War and the Second World War effort.

Culture

It is the birthplace of hockey legend Bobby Orr, the namesake of the local community centre and the town's own Bobby Orr Hall of Fame. Canadian actor Don Harron's stage character Charlie Farquharson remains one of the town's most cherished personalities. Former Ontario premier Ernie Eves also called the town home for many years; he was the MPP for the Parry Sound—Muskoka riding from 1981 through 2001.

The town is home to several cultural festivals, including the Festival of the Sound classical music festival, an annual dragonboat race and a buskers' festival which takes place as part of the town's Canada Day festivities. The Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts serves as the principal performance venue during the Festival of the Sound, and also hosts concerts, live theatre and other cultural events throughout the year.

Sports and recreation

There are several provincial parks in the Parry Sound area, including Oastler Lake, Massasauga and Killbear, as well as numerous provincial conservation reserves. A 230-kilometre recreational trail, the Park-to-Park Trail, connects Killbear with Algonquin Provincial Park near Dwight, with a second proposed extension connecting to another site east of Kearney.

The town is home to an annual ATV Jamboree and a motorbike rally. There are also guided ATV tours of the region's wilderness throughout the year.

Parry Sound's Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary cares for injured and orphaned animals, and has limited daily tourist hours as an informational and interpretive centre for wildlife education.

There are several golf courses located in and near Parry Sound, including the Parry Sound Golf and Country Club, the Seguin Valley Golf and Country Club, Deer Run Golf Course and the Rocky Crest Golf Club. Ice hockey and fishing are also popular recreational sports in the area.

The Parry Sound coastline is home to the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve, one of only 13 UNESCO sites in Canada. The eastern coast of Georgian Bay where Parry Sound is located is known as the "30,000 Islands" and is considered the world's largest freshwater archipelago. It covers 347,000 hectares of shoreline ecosystem, and over 100 species of animals and plants that are at risk in Canada and Ontario, including unique reptiles and amphibians.

Sightseeing tours of the 30,000 Islands are offered by Georgian Bay Airways, and the Island Queen and MV Chippawa cruise ships. The area is also home to White Squall Outfitters, a sport outfitter which offers kayak and canoe rentals and tours during the summer, as well as winter sporting gear rentals during the winter.

Hockey is a past-time tradition in Parry Sound. The Parry Sound Shamrocks were one of the first teams formed in Parry Sound. Famous and retired NHLer Bobby Orr played for the Shamrocks before the OHA's Oshawa Generals. The Parry Sound Shamrocks applied to play Jr. A in the Ontario Provincial Junior "A" Hockey League in the 1980s, but were transferred to the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey Association in 1994, where the Shamrocks made the championship finals in 1998 and 1999, but lost to the over-achieving Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats on both occasions. The Shamrocks were transferred back to the OPJHL in 1999. However, the financial difficulties took its toll on the Parry Sound Shamrocks, which ceased operations in 2003 after a one-year leave of absence, with their desire to play at the Jr. C level. There was criticism of no universities or colleges in the area of the players, who have graduated high school. In 2005, the town was approached by a group from Indianapolis, Indiana to bring Jr. A hockey back to Parry Sound, and to play at the Bobby Orr Community Centre. However, the opposition from members of the Parry Sound Hockey Association prevented the Jr. A team, that would be known as the Seguin Bruins from taking up tenancy at the arena. The Bruins would take up their tenancy at the Humphrey Community Centre instead, but would play some of their home games at the Bobby Orr Community Centre.

Transportation

Parry Sound is located along a highway which currently bears the dual designation of Highway 69/Highway 400. From the opening of this freeway alignment in 2004 until October 26, 2010, a point one kilometre north of Parry Sound's Bowes Street/McDougall Road interchange was the terminus of Highway 400, but the freeway now begins 17 kilometres further north, at Highway 559 north of Nobel.[11] The former alignment of Highway 69 from Parry Sound southerly to Holmur now has the street name Oastler Park Drive and serves as the main access road to Oastler Lake Provincial Park.

The western termini of Highway 124, which extends easterly to Sundridge, and Highway 518, which heads east to Kearney, are both located just outside Parry Sound's town limits.

Bus service from Toronto is available by Ontario Northland Motor Coach Services, the government-owned transportation company, and buses arrive daily en route to Sudbury. In addition, VIA Rail (Crown corporation passenger railway) serves the town with passenger rail service three times a week, on its line between Toronto and Vancouver.

The town is served by the Parry Sound Area Municipal Airport and the Parry Sound Medical Heliport, as well as numerous small water aerodromes:

• Parry Sound Harbour Water Aerodrome (CPS1)
• Parry Sound/Deep Bay Water Aerodrome (CPT6)
• Parry Sound/Derbyshire Island Water Aerodrome (CDS6)
• Parry Sound/Frying Pan Island-Sans Souci Water Aerodrome (CPS9)
• Parry Sound/Huron Island Water Aerodrome (CPS8)
• Parry Sound/St. Waleran Island Water Aerodrome (CPD6)

The Big Sound Marina is a 120-serviced slip marina on Georgian Bay for transient vessels up to 60 feet (18 m).

 This information is provided by the WikiPedia, the original article can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parry_Sound,_Ontario

Map of Parry Sound